• For All the Tea in China

  • How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History
  • By: Sarah Rose
  • Narrated by: Sarah Rose
  • Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (280 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
For All the Tea in China  By  cover art

For All the Tea in China

By: Sarah Rose
Narrated by: Sarah Rose
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.61

Buy for $14.61

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In 1848, the British East India Company, having lost its monopoly on the tea trade, engaged Robert Fortune, a Scottish gardener, botanist, and plant hunter, to make a clandestine trip into the interior of China - territory forbidden to foreigners - to steal the closely guarded secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing. For All the Tea in China is the remarkable account of Fortune's journeys into China - a thrilling narrative that combines history, geography, botany, natural science, and old-fashioned adventure.

Disguised in Mandarin robes, Fortune ventured deep into the country, confronting pirates, hostile climate, and his own untrustworthy men as he made his way to the epicenter of tea production, the remote Wu Yi Shan hills. One of the most daring acts of corporate espionage in history, Fortune's pursuit of China's ancient secret makes for a classic 19th-century adventure tale, one in which the fate of empires hinges on the feats of one extraordinary man.

©2010 Sarah Rose (P)2010 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

“A delicious brew of information on the history of tea cultivation and consumption in the Western world.... A remarkably riveting tale.” ( Booklist)

More from the same

Author

What listeners say about For All the Tea in China

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    110
  • 4 Stars
    86
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    81
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    16
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    93
  • 4 Stars
    61
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Like Fingernails on a Chalkboard

Ms Rose wrote a fascinating, well-researched book. However, this is an audiobook, and listening to Ms Rose read the book is akin to sitting in a pre-K classroom. At first you're distracted by the colorful artwork, then gradually you want to sharpen a pencil and stick yourself in the eye to get out.

A British male voice would have enhanced the story, and elevated Ms Rose in the process. Sadly, her voice both distracts and irritates this listener. I would recommend reading the book yourself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

tantalizing story about tea & Robert Fortune

I loved this book. I'll never look at a cup of tea the same way. It'll make you want to read Robert Fortune's original book and try all types of tea to discern differences. A true fascinating adventure that changed the course of global agriculture!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Read into the First Espionage

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the book and thought the author did a great job as the narrator which is not always the case. For me this was an untold sorry about historic copyright infringement, and against China, who doesn’t love that irony. This was my first introduction to Robert Fortune and I felt that the author did an admirable job at capturing his passion and ingenuity. Early on there is an anecdote about tricking pirates that I believes exemplifies Fortune’s resourcefulness. I felt that the book reads quickly and easily. If there was a point where Fortune ever felt any conscience for his acts of betrayal, they aren’t indicated in the book – with the exception of one episode with the monks. It would have been nice if the author had been clearer on his journeys as that wasn’t clear to me and would have been helpful. I also liked how the author contrasts Fortune’s professionalism and ability to work with the natives as compared to his counterparts in India. Overall I highly recommend the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A very well researched and interested account

You can easily see in the last two chapters of the book how the British search for an independent supply of Tea helped change the world and boosted the Industrial Revolution in GB. Great book, great story, and even though most of the time an author self-reading their work doesn't quite work out, I enjoyed listening to Sarah Rose.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Might-tea good!

Sorry about the pun, but really the book is mighty good. Backed by some impressive and detailed research this book gives a fascinating history of tea with the larger context of the role it played in the East India Tea Company, the British Empire, China and India.

On one hand it is a simple drink, much beloved around the world. But on the other it was a force that changed the course of empires, the results of which we still experience today. I never knew the lengths to which the English went to steal the secrets of tea cultivation and production from the Chinese, and the struggles to get it to grow in India.

The entire history is told with great skill and the book is a pleasure to listen to. Well, almost. I would read anything that Sarah Rose wrote because she is exceptionally skilled, but her talents are not with narration. It isn't bad, and doesn't detract from the pleasure of this book, but a professional narration would have made this work even more exceptional.

Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story of the History of Tea

Where does For All the Tea in China rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've enjoyed some great books on audible, and this one was very good. The reader wasn't

What other book might you compare For All the Tea in China to and why?

None that I've read

Would you be willing to try another one of Sarah Rose’s performances?

Yes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

If you like tea and like history you'll love this.

What made the experience of listening to For All the Tea in China the most enjoyable?

I found the story of the East India Trading company almost as interesting as Robert Fortune's stories.

Any additional comments?

I normally don't like books read by the author, but Sarah Rose does a fair job of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Find the original, not this work

Perhaps this was a work that would have been better to read than to hear. The author, who reads her own work, sounds like she’s auditioning for a high school play. Her obvious lack of knowledge of any Chinese dialect grates on the ear as she reads Chinese names and Chinese terms. Fortune’s story is a great one and not need the exoticization that it receives in this telling. Go find his original work and read it, and put this unnecessary interpretation to the side.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hard To Concentrate

I can’t get used to the voice and -or narration I’m not a person that criticizes female voices. Buy, this I don’t like.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

I found the information and presentation very interesting and compelling! It was delivered in an easy to hear manner and so well organized.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!